Let Me Fall
by winchested
Summary: After Zack Salvatore dies, his nephew, Damon, moves into the house. There is something strange about the gorgeous and charming man that moves in next to Elena Gilbert's house. Can she figure out what it is? AU.
1. Chapter 1

**_I know I shouldn't start another story already but I couldn't get this out of my head. This is an AU but not All Human. Damon is a vampire if you don't figure that out by just how much Elena's narration is hinting it. xD Also, I usually don't write in first person so let me know how I'm doing. I might switch to Damon's point of view in a later chapter. It all just depends. And I may or may not even have Stefan in this story at all. If I do, he probably died when he was human in 1864. _**

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><p>"Thank you for coming, Elena." Liz Forbes, Mystic Falls' sheriff, welcomed me into Zack Salvatore's home. The man had been my neighbor for as long as I could remember. He had been there when my parents died when I was sixteen. Then Jenna moved in and she actually went out with him a few times. He was there when Jenna died too, right before I turned twenty one. He was there—in reach—for Jeremy and I to call whenever we needed something. He had been there for us yet we knew nothing of the man. I remember when he walked into our house the first time he had moved to Mystic Falls. He was with his old father and had introduced himself, bringing over dessert. My parents had talked to him but there was a sort of mystery about him.<p>

To this very day (to his death), that mystery was still there. He had come over to comfort us through everything yet I didn't feel very attached to the man at all. It was a strange feeling. I wanted to feel bad, I really did. Maybe after losing my parents and Aunt Jenna—people so close and important to me, I didn't really get effected by death. But was that really possible? I couldn't stand to think of what would happen if something happened to Jeremy. The thought was painful. My brother was the only real family I had left (Uncle John didn't count).

Zack's death was very vague as well. She had been very confused when she heard that he had gotten attacked by a mountain lion while he was out hunting in the woods. At night. It just didn't add up. Many people had ignored that. He was dead, right? So it didn't matter. Like he didn't deserve the justice. While I felt little remorse for this man, I still wanted to get a clear story on what happened. He did deserve that much.

I nodded at Liz, smiling and stepping into the home and looking around the ghostly place. It seemed normal enough, really. But the fact that as of now, no one lived there, gave it a haunted feel. It almost didn't feel right. To be fair, I've never felt too comfortable in this house. I've only been inside a handful of times—one of them being after Zack's father's death. That was the last time I had actually been inside and that was four years ago—right before Aunt Jenna's death. I straightened out the wrinkles of my black dress and walked further into the home, unsure of what to do. I had to find Caroline or Bonnie—Jeremy was at work and would be over later. It felt odd walking around alone like this. I gone through this routine many times that she should be perfectly capable of doing this, but I wasn't. This wasn't a death of anyone I was close to.

"Elena!" I heard a girly voice call. _Caroline._ I turned around to find the blonde with my other best friend, Bonnie standing there.

"Hi, Elena." Bonnie smiled a bit at me.

I gave them both a small smile in return and walked over, giving them both hugs. "Hi."

"How are you doing, Elena?" Caroline asked, looking somewhat concerned. She was worried that this death was going to make a huge impact on me. Like a domino effect or something.

"I'm fine." She assured her. "How's your mom?" Liz Forbes was also closer to Zack Salvatore than most of the people in Mystic Falls and suddenly, I felt stupid for not asking Liz myself.

"She's dealing. You know, in her own way. Overworking." Caroline shrugged, sighing.

I nodded, understanding. Death was something that effected so many people in so many ways yet it was so inevitable.

"Did you hear how he was killed?" Bonnie asked quietly.

I nodded again. "He was apparently out hunting at night. And a mountain lion attacked him."

Caroline didn't look too convinced but I knew she was one of those people that believed since he was dead, it really didn't matter.

"Really? At night?" Thank god I wasn't the only one unconvinced of his cause of death.

"Apparently." I shrugged at Bonnie.

She then turned to Caroline. "Did your mom mention what was going to happen to this house? I mean… He lived alone and I don't think he had any relatives or anything. I don't even see anyone from outside of town here." She glanced around.

"Actually," Caroline shook her head. "There is someone."

Bonnie and I both furrowed our brows and looked at her more intently. I was the first to ask, "Wait, what do mean?"

Caroline began to search, but she was unsuccessful and found herself looking back at us. "He has a nephew… D… Damon. Damon Salvatore. I met him before anyone else came. My mom said he's going to be moving in here."

"Zack has a _nephew_?" Bonnie asked, surprised. My expression mirrored hers.

Caroline nodded. "I guess he does." She looked around then leaned in as if she was telling a secret. "He's really, really hot." She giggled.

Bonnie rolled her eyes and I chuckled. "Oh, Care." I shook my head at her.

"Seriously, Elena. You are so lucky to have him as your neighbor. I'm going to have to come over more than I already do." She winked.

I laughed again, looking up to notice a man standing with Liz. He looked very focused in the conversation with her—his expression was thoughtful, inventive, yet solemn. I felt instantly drawn to this man… There was something about him and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. "Is that him?" I whispered.

Caroline followed my stare and nodded.

"Oh my god, Care, he _is_ hot!" I giggled and she laughed in agreement.

Bonnie and Caroline became engrossed in their own conversation about their boyfriends, Matt and Jeremy, and I continued to stare at this strange, exotic man—Damon. I shouldn't have been surprised when he abruptly switched his attention to me. I had noticed how blue his eyes were even from across the room but it was a completely different feeling (yes, feeling) when he was staring right at me. It was hard to read his emotions—but I managed to make out passion, curiosity, and pain. A strange combination for a strange man.

I couldn't bring myself to look away. I was captured in his intense gaze.

"Hello! Earth to Elena!" Bonnie waved her hands in front of my face and Caroline smirked.

I snapped out of it, smiling shyly and ignoring the slight blush on my cheeks. "I… Uh.. Sorry." I apologized.

They both giggled.

LINE HERE

There were more people around now. For a man that everyone barely knew, Zack was rather popular. But then again, it _was _a small town. People were expected to come even if they had never even said one word to him. I talked to people here and there—kept the conversation short. It didn't feel right trying to talk about someone you barely knew.

I made my way over to the table of food when I bumped into someone.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" I said quickly, looking up to see it was none other than Damon. Did he hear me suck in a breath of air? He was even more stunning up close.

"Oh, no. It was my fault." He assured me with the most charming smile I had seen on the planet. He must have noticed me swooning because the smile turned into a smirk.

I smiled a bit before finding my voice. "You're Damon, right?" I confirmed.

He nodded. "One and only."

"I'm so sorry about your uncle. He was a good man." I told him sincerely.

He didn't seem that concerned, to be honest. He only nodded and said, "Thank you." Was he not close with his uncle either? Was there anyone that truly missed Zack?

"And you must be Elena Gilbert, am I correct?" He asked.

I nodded. "That's me. I live—" I began but he cut me off and finished for me instead.

"Next door, I know. Liz told me." He smirked at my irritation. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Gilbert." He said, taking my hand and kissing it. I all but died right on the spot.

"The pleasure's all mine." I managed to get out with a smile of my own. "You'll be moving in, right?"

"Yes, I will be. Looking forward to it?" He smirked, raising his brows suggestively.

Oh, so he was that sort of guy. I should've figured. I rolled my eyes. "Ecstatic." I answered flatly.

He pouted—something more used for humor, I figured—and put a hand over his heart. "You wound me, Elena and we've barely known each other for five minutes."

"Then you better watch your back, Mister Salvatore." I chimed with a wink.

A spark of fired lit in his eyes. "Mmm, a feisty one. I like you." He winked back at me.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Were we flirting? Great.

"So where are you from? I didn't know Zack had any other family." I said, taking a sip of the wine I got.

"I travel a lot." He answered distantly. "And Zack was never really one to brag." He smirked.

"I see… Any other family members? Or is it just you?" I asked curiously.

"Just me." He told me.

I was about to ask him another question before he shook his head. "Nope. Your turn. How long have you lived in this boring old town?"

"Mystic Falls isn't that boring!" I protested. "I was born and raised here—lived here all of my life and I don't really plan on moving out either." As much hurt as I had gone through, I was too attached to this small town to ever get out. To ever want to get out.

He seemed really curious at that. "Really? But there's a whole world out there… The world is a lot bigger than Mystic Falls." He popped a potato chip into his mouth. "There's so much to do… So much to see… Why would you not want to experience any of that?"

I stared at him, shrugging. "I don't know… I guess I've never really thought about it like that. Everyone I care about is here… And it's…." _Hard to let go. I can't lose them too. _

I didn't have to finish because with the look on Damon's face I could tell that he completely understood. It sent a warm and tingly sensation throughout my body.

"So, you're going to have to show me around since you seem like such an expert on this town." He smirked.

I grinned back at him and nodded. "Fine. You know where to find me." I told him before walking off, waving a bit.

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><p><strong><em>Please review!<em>**


	2. Chapter 2

**_This chapter is definitely a filler chapter. It was supposed to be longer and it would have turned into Damon's POV but I ran out of time and wanted to give you guys some sort of update before I went back to school for another week (which means no updating until the weekend). So, sorry it was so short and suck-ish. But in the next chapter you guys will get more explanation on what Damon is really doing in Mystic Falls and all. Flashbacks might be included. Please review and let me know what you would like to keep seeing or would not like to keep seeing!_**

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><p>It turned out Damon Salvatore did not know where to find me. Or well, he probably did but he never did make an attempt to contact me. He <em>was <em>the one that had asked me to give him a tour of the place. It wasn't like I had asked if he wanted to hang around me. I don't even know why I'm bothering to let this get to me. It shouldn't get to me. I met the guy like over a week ago at his uncle's funeral and talked to him for like five minutes. Maybe that was it… Maybe it was because his uncle had just died. That would make sense if he didn't have a fucking party at his house every night.

I used to love coming home from work—teaching kindergartners was difficult—even if you loved children. But ever since Damon moved into the neighborhood I kind of regretted driving into my driveway only to see there were pars already parked there (naturally, I would stomp over to Damon's house and demand that his guests remove their cars). I hated having trouble falling asleep at night because the music next door was way too loud. And I especially despised the drunk sorority girls that somehow wound up on my doorstep asking for a place to crash. I had been right about Damon Salvatore. He was nothing but a playboy. The sincerity I might have seen on his face when he was talking to Liz had to be a lie… Right?

But what if this was his way of coping with a loss of a family member? I had guessed they weren't very close with the way he was acting but maybe he was purposely acting that way? I'm not so sure but the truth is, I don't really know him. Why was he ignoring me if he was having all these parties? He obviously didn't mind surrounding himself with people.

I sighed and tried to ignore the blasting music coming from my neighbor as I read my book. It was a rather comfortable position, too. I was covered with a blanket and had some tea. As soon as the party died down… Whenever that would happen, I would be able to sleep soundly.

But of course my semi-peace didn't last because there was banging on my door. Yes, banging. Not the subtle knock or the rhythmic rapping or even a single doorbell. It was full on banging. Damn it, Jeremy, not the best night to choose to stay at Bonnie's. I hesitantly stood up, picking up an object nearest to me—which happened to be an empty vase. A glass vase. So it was bound to make some damage if it had to.

The banging on my door didn't stop and when I flung it open, I was afraid to get pounded on myself. Instead of finding some murderer, I found a college girl crying and sobbing and looking absolutely terrified. Normally, I would dismiss these visits immediately but this one managed to catch my attention. I studied the blonde carefully to find that she looked like a wreck. Her hair was disheveled and her make-up all smeared no thanks to the tears.

"Please help me!" She cried, barging into my house—as much as the space between my door and my body allowed anyway. Then I noticed blood. A significant amount of blood. And the source of the blood was her neck.

I gasped. "What happened? Are you okay?" I was now alarmed. I was almost sure she had come from Damon's party but what would happen there that caused her this damage?

"He… He bit me! He's a monster. He's going to kill me. You've got to help me." She was hysterical. Poor thing.

I put a comforting arm around her and began to pull her deeper into my house but that's when she started screaming hysterically again. I furrowed my brows together and looked over at where she was staring and found that Damon Salvatore was standing at my door.

"Is she alright?" He sounded so sincere, I almost believed him. "I saw her running this way and I got worried. I think the guy I saw her with slipped something in her drink." As much as she was irritated with his constant partying, what he said did seem plausible. Especially with the way she was acting. "She hurt herself, too, I think."

I nodded and began to walk the girl back but she resisted. "No… Don't make me go back…" She whimpered.

"Shhh… Sweetheart," Damon soothed from the doorway (I couldn't figure out why he didn't just come in). "Come with me and we'll find who did this to you. And I can get you a cab. Let's not bother my poor neighbor any more than you already have." His tone became a bit more harsh at his last sentence. I found myself wanting to defend her.

"It's no problem, really… I wasn't really doing anything…"

Damon shook his head. "Nonsense. Sorry about this. May I come in? I think I'll just have to carry her out." Oh, so he was back to the polite gentleman now.

I nodded, "Yeah, come on in." I said. And he stepped in immediately, walking over to me and the girl then wrapping a gentle arm around her. "Come on… Let's go…"

She whimpered some more and looked into his eyes and suddenly she nodded. The blonde quickly moved away from me and wrapped herself around Damon. Strange. A few seconds ago she was terrified at the very sight of him. "Why was she so scared of you?" I blurted out before thinking.

He looked at me flatly. "Delusions. Hallucinations. Post Traumatic Stress. She was drugged, Elena. Of course she'd be making assumptions."

Embarrassed, I nodded. "Right."

He then began to lead her out of my house. "Sorry for having my guest barge in like that." He apologized once he reached the exit.

"Well, it's not like it's the first time." I said.

"What?" He furrowed his brows together.

"I get people looking for a place to crash all the time now…" I didn't know why she was being so difficult. But if he was going to apologize, he might as well realize this much.

"Oh. I didn't know." I doubted he didn't know. And with the small smirk threatening to erupt on his face, I confirmed that he did in fact know. "Sorry about that, too then." He threw back over his shoulder.

I shrugged. "Right. Okay." Sorry meant that it wouldn't happen again. This meant nothing because she knew it would continue to happen as long as Damon Salvatore was her neighbor.


	3. Chapter 3

**_More of an explanation chapter. Sorry for no Delena yet. Next chapter will be all them. This chapter is in Damon's point of view. Please review and post any questions and I'll either answer them personally or in my next chapter! Also, I usually have longer chapters but for some reason, I only have time to update before I go to sleep so it comes a little rushed. I'll try to make it longer next time!_**

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><p>I hadn't come to this town looking for <em>her. <em>I was surprised to find that she looked exactly like Katherine. And I was confused as to how I had never seen her around before. When I first saw her, I was sure that she was Katherine. But it wasn't hard to figure out that this girl was, in fact, human. That wasn't the only difference between the two, honestly. When I talked to her after Zack's funeral, I knew that she was the exact opposite of Katherine. Actually, I knew that even before I really talked to her. When I met her gaze while speaking with Liz, I saw something in her eyes that looked so strange. It almost came as a shock. I had never seen those big brown eyes ever show any warmth or innocence. I knew that she was not Katherine but she looked just like her… But her eyes did give her away. Elena Gilbert was not Katherine Pierce.

Zack's death wasn't actually planned, believe it or not. It was all highly inconvenient. I couldn't let him ruin any of my plans and he was a threat that needed to be taken out. I have been searching for a way to get to Katherine for over a century now and now that I know that she is definitely alive, I will save her. She is trapped in a tomb under where the church once was. She wasn't burned. For a century, I have been looking for a way to bring her back to life only to find out she never perished in that fire! Once I had that information, I knew that I had to return to Mystic Falls.

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><p><em>FLASHBACK<em>

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><p>"What are you doing here, Damon?" Zack said stiffly as he realized who he was staring at on the porch.<p>

"Come on, Zack. Is that any way to greet your uncle?" I pretended to look hurt and made my way into the home. I didn't need to be invited in—that had been taken care of a long time ago. "I'm here on business. I won't stay longer than I need to." I promised, falling onto the couch in the living room casually before propping my feet up on the coffee table.

"Business? Damon, that doesn't sound too good. What kind of business?" He asked cautiously.

"Don't worry about it. It doesn't concern you." I answered sharply, giving him a warning glare. If he snooped or tried anything to get in my way, I would not hesitate to take drastic measures.

"How long is this going to last you?" Zack asked with a straight face. I knew how much he was trying to keep himself composed. It was never a good thing when I stopped by. The last time I was here, his poor father died. Of course, _I _hadn't killed him. He had died trying to kill me. But that's another story that doesn't really matter anyway. I knew how much Zack wanted to kill me and how much he hated me but I was glad—for his sake—that he knew not to mess with me. It didn't end well for his poor old dad and it certainly wouldn't end well for him either.

"I told you, however long it takes me. Let's hope that isn't too long, though." I winked, amused as he grew more tense at my reply.

"Let's hope." He murmured before walking off.

LINE HERE

"Who is she?" My face was almost glued to the window and it took nearly all my self control to keep me from breaking through that window and running to that girl. To Katherine.

I didn't have to look back at Zack to know that he was frozen and trying to figure out what to say. Before he could make up his mind, I zoomed over to him, grabbing his neck and slamming him against the wall. "Who is she!" I roared.

Zack winced, gasping and I loosened my grip so he could breathe as well as talk.

"Elena… Elena Gilbert. Damon, don't do anything to her. She isn't Katherine. She isn't who you're looking for. She's human." What? He knew about Katherine? How did he know who I came here for? How long had he known? I would deal with him in a moment—he wouldn't be going anywhere.

I rushed back to the window and focused on her, trying to figure out what the fuck was going on. She looked exactly like Katherine. I listened to her. I listened to her voice as she talked to a blonde girl. She sounded just like Katherine—her beautiful, melodic voice. Then I listened for her heartbeat and sure enough, it was there. Before I could make any move, I felt a sharp pain against my shoulder and suddenly, my whole body erupted into flames. I couldn't move.

I managed to turn my head to see that Zack had injected something into me.

"Vervain." I wheezed before the world went black.

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><p>"Zack, once I get out of here, I am going to rip your heart out." I threatened and rolled over slowly, the vervain still coursing through my veins so slowly.<p>

"If you get out of there." He said smugly.

"Trust me." I chuckled but stopped when it hurt. "I will. You made a huge mistake."

"No, I don't think I did. I couldn't let you free her. I can't let you free Katherine, Damon. There are others in there with her—they'll come out too."

"How do you know all of this?" I asked, turning my head to look at him through the bars.

"I have my ways, Damon. I'm not that clueless. I knew exactly why you were here when you came a few years ago and exactly why you're here now." Zack answered.

"How inconvenient." I murmured.

"And I can't let you hurt Elena." He added.

"Please. What would I want with a pathetic copy of Katherine?" I rolled my eyes a little bit.

"But see, Damon. If you don't get what you want, you often go to extreme means." Zack retorted.

"I completely agree with that statement. Which is why you made the biggest mistake of your life. You do realize that you have zero chance of living now, right?"

But he was already leaving. That bastard.

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><p>The vervain was gone from my system. I was surprised to find that Zack hadn't come down earlier to increase my dosage. He was out. I was still weak, though. I hadn't had any blood in days but I had to get out before Zack got back. The door was sealed, however. No matter how hard I tried to open it, I knew I wasn't strong enough to. That's when I heard rushed footsteps. Zack.<p>

The best way to get through this was to pretend he was asleep. He knew that if he tried to attack him right away, he would inject the vervain a lot quicker than if he surprised him. I quickly laid back down on the ground and allowed my hearing to take over. I could hear him open the door then walk carefully yet quickly inside and when he bent over beside me, I launched myself on to him, sinking my fangs into his neck.

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><p>I had killed Zack just like I had promised him. But I knew this town was known for vampires. Zack was probably on that wretched council. I was curious as to whether the rest of the council knew about Katherine or me or the rest of the vampires in the tomb. It would've been a good idea to kept Zack alive for that but I needed to kill him in order to know for sure I wouldn't be stopped. Because I will get Katherine back if that's the last thing I do.<p>

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><p><em>FLASH BACK OVER<em>

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><p>My interest in Elena was confusing. I didn't know what to make of it—or if I should make anything of it at all. But it wasn't her looks that attracted me to her, no, it was her fire. Katherine had fire but this definitely wasn't the same thing. It was her difference from Katherine that attracted me to her. Still, it was confusing and it was challenging the love I felt for Katherine. That was unacceptable. I couldn't let this human take over my mind when I have been searching for Katherine for most of my life.<p>

I just couldn't. I had to stay away from her. It didn't matter that I had asked her to show me around in order to get to know her. I didn't want to know her. Okay, that was a lie. I did. So badly. But I couldn't. It wouldn't work.

I knew that I should just avoid her—especially after that blonde showed up crying at her door—but I felt the need to talk to her more. Ease whatever suspicions she was feeling. That seemed like a plausible excuse. I was only trying to keep my cover.

That's what I told myself as I rang her doorbell the next day.

"Elena? Hi." I put on a charming smile.


End file.
